Stalking Horse
July 21, 2014·0 comments
A prominent central banker publishes a widely-circulated opinion piece calling for the Federal Reserve to pause interest rate hikes. The stated concern is working people: allowing wage growth and broader participation in economic recovery. Yet the timing and pressure behind the narrative suggest something else entirely is driving the agenda.
- The familiar Missionary delivers the populist message. Neel Kashkari, a recognizable figure in financial circles, frames monetary policy as a question of fairness and opportunity for Main Street. The language sounds credible because it's wrapped in concern for ordinary Americans.
- The stated problem doesn't match the real threat. Wall Street and the White House aren't actually panicked about wage growth. They're watching financial asset prices weaken as interest rates climb. But saying "we need higher stock prices before the election" wouldn't work as a public argument.
- Familiar narratives hide powerful interests. This isn't presented as a request from markets or political operatives. It arrives as the principled position of a respected Fed official, making it seem independent and legitimate when it's actually serving two of the most powerful institutions in the system.
- The one-tenth truth conceals the nine-tenths beneath it. The piece acknowledges real economic concerns, making the constructed narrative harder to spot. But the construction itself matters more than any individual claim within it.
- We're all forced to take positions on hunts we didn't choose. Regular investors and workers don't get to opt out of betting on outcomes determined by these institutional games. The question becomes whether we can see what's actually happening behind the familiar faces and language.
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